Extended Research on Bollywood

Bollywood Codes and Conventions

• Dominance of one or two actors (Usually a male and female)
• Using other forms of performance art such as playing an instrument, singing and dancing
• The presence of a religious figure that all the characters believe in, such as a God or Deity
• Romance is the main plot or subplot in the story (This might include love triangles)
• Large studio sets with elaborate design and decoration
• Films are usually set in Mumbai, India (However, some popular Bollywood films have been set in western cities such as New York City, and London
• Authentic and elaborate costumes, such as traditional clothing (i.e. saris and dresses)
• Other key themes include; melodrama, obsession, and kidnappings.

There are also some traditional gestures and symbols used in Bollywood films such as:

• Seeing someone tug on their ears – When someone tugs on their ears it is usually seen as an apology and the quivalent of saying sorry.

• Seeing someone touch another person’s feet - According to Hindu theology feet are the most polluted part of the body because they are the closet body part to the ground. So when a person touches someone else's feet it is a sign of great respect because they are honoured and touching their feet is a privilege.

• Someone waving their hands over another person’s head - Usually a person will do this to a bride. They will wave their hands over the bride and then make fists of their hands and crack their knuckles on each side of their own head. Whoever does this takes on any evil that may be sent toward the bride.

• A woman wearing red dye in her parting - This red dye is called vermillion and when a woman wears it in her parting, it signifies that she is married and her husband is still alive.

• Kohl is placed on someone’s cheek - When someone looks strikingly beautiful it is assumed that they will attract a lot of jealousy. Therefore, a black dot (kohl) is placed on their face as a blemish to ward off jealousy of a person's perfection.

• When someone presses their palms together - When two characters first meet, one of them will press their palms together and say “Namaste.” This is equivalent to the American/English handshake because it shows the possession of manners. However, it holds a higher level of respect than shaking hands.

Evaluation

By using some of the conventions as seen above they would help create a more authentic production which would be recognised by fans of Bollywood and also bring a new audience in showing them examples of a different cultures. With them also being standard ways of communication it can't be seen as cliched as it is a way of life for many people.